Haven in Ashes
by Black Violin
Summary: Serenity is losing her mind to nightmares and she is quickly losing grip on reality. Can someone save her from herself? SerenityxKaiba...maybe
1. Tears Among the Flames

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" Children's voices echoed, "Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

"_What's going on?" Serenity asked, looking down at a crowd of children. They all looked at her with huge smiles and deceptive eyes. They threw straw at her feet and continued to sing._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_Serenity tried to move, feeling that maybe she was in the way of something, but she then realized that she couldn't. Her hands were tied around a wooden post behind her back. The children started to throw the straw higher, making attempts to hit her face as they continued to sing the same song._

"_Stop it!" She tried to say to them, but they couldn't hear her. She tried again, shouting this time. They just raised their voices to drown her out._

_One of the children, a boy with mangy hair and dark eyes, walked up to her. He held a twisted smirk as he reached up and placed a blindfold over Serenity's eyes. She shook her head, trying to refuse the blindfold by making it hard for the boy to put on. He let it drop to the pile of straw at her feet._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_The boy left to join the rest of the children, all of whom began to sway to an unkempt rhythm. One of them, a girl this time, held a small torch to the straw. The straw crackled and lit. Serenity finally realized what was happening and the children joined hands and skipped in circles around her._

_They were burning her at the stake._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_Serenity screamed and tugged at her bonds desperately. The fire eat the straw quickly, making it's way to the center of the pile._

"_No! Let me go! Stop!" She screamed. Tears streamed down her face._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_The flames where close now. They licked at her bare legs like greedy little spirits. Smoke rose up and stung her eyes and filled her lungs. When the flames took interest in her clothes and the rest of her body, she screamed louder. Serenity could feel the fire searing her skin off. She screamed and screamed and screamed until the smoke finally chocked her to death. The flames finished it's meal while listening to a chorus of children's fading voices._

"_Ring around the rosy…pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down! Ring around…posy…ashes, ashes…fall down! Around…ashes…fall…"_

_-------------------------_

Yeah…don't ask. You will have to read the next chapter to find out the meaning behind this…that is, if I ever get it written. Comment people!! I need comment to be inspired to write the next part!!!!!!

...please?


	2. Suprise Arrival

Sorry it took so long to update! Ugh, I'm such an air-head. Thank you all for the comments! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Roses are red, violets are blue, I own nothing, so you cannot sue!

_"The thing that appeared in front of my eyes vanished,  
The voice that cut my dreams to pieces,  
In this world that's full of lies...  
Gently rip me up.  
Softly embrace me._

_  
Pl-e-a-se-save me!" -Gackt; Nine Spiral_

--

I bolted upright in my bed and screamed. Screamed and screamed and _screamed._ It was overly high pitched, and sounded very foreign to my ears, but I couldn't stop. My body shook violently as I struggled to get a hold of myself. A warm pair of arms wrapped around my body and the familiar voice of my brother comforted me. I didn't even realized that Joey had come in.

"Serenity, it's okay," Joey said softly, stroking my hair. I choked out my screaming by burying my face in his white shirt. In the back of my mind, I was convinced that I was still dying. At least the putrid scent of smoke was replaced by the soft scent of Joey. "It was just a bad dream. You're okay now."

It took a while for the words to register in my head. It was only a bad dream. It was only a nightmare. I really wasn't dying and there was no reason to be afraid; I was awake. My body relaxed slightly and only then did I realize that I had been crying. Joey's shirt was wet where I'd cried, darkening that spot a bit. The room was still dark. I glanced over his shoulder to see the clock. 4:30 AM.

"Joey," I mumbled, looking up at him apologetically, "I'm really, _really_, sorry for waking you."

"No problem," He replied, unwrapping his arms from around me. He placed his hands firmly on my shoulders and looked me stright in the eye, "Are you alright now?"

I nodded. Joey smiled and stood, releasing my shoulders. He left me alone in my room. It was very dark, and cold. I laid back down, curling up under the covers to keep warm. My thoughts began to stir on their own. I felt truly embarrassed. Never in my life had a _dream _jolted me so bad. It felt so _real _though... and to make Joey have to check on me - that wasn't acceptable of myself.

I've already burdened my brother with my presence. Mom was going through depression when I decided to move in with Joey. I couldn't stand to see her like that everyday, so sad and angry at the same time. There wasn't anything I could do for her to make her feel better. When Joey invited me to stay with him, and I gratefully accepted. I tried not to make myself trouble for him, but sometimes it felt like there wasn't anything I could do right.

I laid in bed until six, when it was time to get ready for the day. I hadn't gone back to sleep, childishly afraid to have the nightmare again, so I was a bit tired.

It never took me long to get ready for school. I replaced my ragged night shirt for a pink and blue uniform. Domino High's uniform hadn't changed much from when Joey was going there; the bow that the girls used to have to wear was no longer necessary. By six thirty, I was leaving. Something caught my eye on the way out. A picture on Joey's computer wallpaper. It was a picture taken not so long ago, but long enough. It was a group shot that Tea insisted everybody be in. Joey, Mai and Tea stood together by a tree. Sitting on the grass was Tristan and Duke on either side of me. Yugi was standing to the side of Tristan, making two victory signs with his hands.

I sighed, feeling a bit bad. The picture was taken only two or three years ago, and the only one that really changed was me. My hair had gotten excessively longer; it brushed the back of my knees. Though I had the eye surgery, it didn't keep my eyes from still going bad. I needed glasses to read but, in fear of losing them, I wore them all the time. My body matured more from when the picture was taken. I was taller and more developed. I was still a dull, ugly girl.

I glared at the girl in the picture -the old Serenity- before finally leaving. The day was fairly warm. The sun was piercing, but the wind blew a constant chill. The school yard was unusually crowded when I arrived. I wondered if there was some sort of event happening today. People were gathered in a tight group. Loud chatter and other noises echoed throughout the group. I got closer, trying to see what was going on through the excitement. I realized that everybody was surrounding a black limo. I couldn't imagine what a _limo_ was doing there, until a slightly familiar face stepped out.

Mokuba Kaiba.

--

Sorry for this uber lame, short, and boring chapter. I promise to add more before the week is out. Again, THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS! It's easier to write knowing that you all want to read more. Please comment more!

-B.


	3. Figure in the Fire

_The horde of children danced about a fire, singing merrily. Whatever scent was in the air was awful, like searing flesh, and it made Seto gag. The blue eyed man had no intention on intruding on the children's little bonfire, but he swore that he had heard screaming. That was what made him go to investigate; the stubborn curiosity that even he couldn't resist._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, Ashes, we all fall down!" The children sang in unison. Seto turned to leave, deciding that he was satisfied at finding nothing, but a dark eyed child grabbed his hand. _

"_Stay, big brother*," The boy asked. He held a wide smile that took up most of his face. It was almost frightening. Before Seto could utter a denial, another child grabbed his other hand. Other children soon followed, grabbing his jacket and clinging to his legs. He was truly surrounded by kids, all begging him to stay. He was shocked and unable to get away. They must have taken his silence as a way of saying that he wasn't going to leave, not like he could at this point._

_The smiling children pulled him towards the fire, spreading out into a circle again. They held hands and ran around the flames, taking up chorus again. Seto did not sing, but he allowed himself to be pulled around the circle. He looked into the fire carefully, feeling the heat start to form sweat on his face. Something felt…off._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_There was something in the fire. It was fairly tall, though probably a foot or so shorter than Seto, and charred black by the flames. The stench was incredibly strong and it was definitely coming from whatever the children had put in there. Seto was once again reminded of searing flesh when the realization hit him. He stopped, staring at the black thing with horrified eyes. The kids that were holding his hands let him go and re-linked, deciding to continue without him._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_The thing that smelled of burning flesh was indeed burning flesh, or at least it was. It was not just flesh either, Seto realized as his senses kicked into overdrive. It was burning hair, clothes, eyes, bone……it was a human. Just what were these children, who burned humans? He was sure he didn't want to know._

"_Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!" The children continued, their voices growing louder and monotonous._

_The black form collapsed from burning too long. It's skull rolled away from the heap, rolling to his feet. Fire still danced through it's eyes, looking up at him like some frightened beast. Bile rose in Seto's throat. The situation he was in suddenly became very apparent on the faces of the children. They all held wide smiles and dark, emotionless eyes. He needed to leave direly. _

_The truth was, he couldn't escape._

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Wow….in the last chapter, I said I would update in a week…last year. Ahh!! I'm such a bad child. I even forgot that I had even started writing this story, so all of the plot bunnies went with it. Narg!!! Ah well…this gives me a chance to make new and better ones. I'm sorry everyone! Please bear with me for a while. ^^;

Err….as always, please read and review!!

-BV

* "Stay big brother" I used big brother as kind of a translation laugh. If this were an original story, the kid would have said "onii-san", which means big brother in Japanese. Sometimes in English adaptations, they will either say 'big brother' or replace it with 'mister' or something of the likes. Yeah….kind of a joke. .


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